Powerful Ad Shows What A Little Girl Hears When You Tell Her She's Pretty

A new Verizon commercial cites a sad statistic by the National Science Foundation: 66 percent of 4th grade girls say they like science and math, but only 18 percent of all college engineering majors are female.

The video depicts one girl's development from toddler to teenager. She wanders curiously through nature, examines the plants and animals around her, creates an astronomy project, and builds a rocket with her older brother. But all along the way, she hears many all-too-common refrains from her parents: "Who's my pretty girl?" "Don't get your dress dirty," "You don't want to mess with that," and "Be careful with that. Why don't you hand that to your brother?" These statements are subtle, but the ad suggests that they can ultimately discourage girls from pursuing traditionally male-dominated STEM subjects in school.

According to AdWeek, the powerful commercial is the result of a partnership between Verizon and Makers and is narrated by Girls Who Code founder, Reshma Saujani.

The video ends with a thought-provoking question: Isn't it time we told her she's pretty brilliant, too?

It sure is.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misstated the name of the National Science Foundation.

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Girls in STEM By the Numbers

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Women remain underrepresented in science and engineering, although to a lesser degree than in the past, according to the National Girls Collaborative Project report, “The State of Girls and Women in STEM," which was issued in June.

Women remain underrepresented in science and engineering, although to a lesser degree than in the past, according to the National Girls Collaborative Project report, “The State of Girls and Women in STEM," which was issued in June 2013.

Girls and boys in kindergarten through 12th grade “do not significantly differ in their abilities in mathematics and science, but they do differ in their interest and confidence in STEM subjects,” according to the same report.

Male students are more than three times more likely to be interested in STEM majors and careers, compared to female students.

At the college level, men earn 82 percent of engineering degrees, 82 percent of computer science degrees and 81 percent of physics degrees.

Women make up 47 percent of the overall workforce and constitute
only 27 percent of the science and engineering workforce.

Fewer than 1 in 10 employed scientists and engineers are minority women.